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In October 2013, San Francisco Opera celebrates the bicentennial births of two of opera’s most important composers—Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. Renowned bass-baritone Bryn Terfel returns to San Francisco in the title role of Verdi’s beloved comedy Falstaff, conducted by San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti. Falstaff opens October 8 and runs for eight performances through November 2. San Francisco Opera teams with Stanford Live to present a free live simulcast of the October 11 performance of Falstaff at Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater. A new production of Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer starring Wagnerian bass-baritone Greer Grimsley in the title role and conducted by Patrick Summers opens on October 22 and runs for seven performances through November 15. In a once-in-a-lifetime performance, Nicola Luisotti will lead the combined orchestras and choruses of San Francisco Opera and Italy’s Teatro di San Carlo in a performance of Verdi’s masterwork, the Messa da Requiem, on October 25. All performances feature the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus (Ian Robertson, director) and take place in the historic War Memorial Opera House. Tickets for all October events are on sale at sfopera.com, by calling (415) 864-3330 or, visiting the San Francisco Opera Box Office.

Falstaff,Giuseppe Verdi [October 8–November 2]Free Live HD Simulcast October 11 at Stanford University

A brilliant comedy about a lecherous glutton who vainly attempts to seduce two women at once, Falstaff features renowned Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in one of his legendary signature roles. Spanish soprano Ainhoa Arteta is Alice Ford and Italian baritone Fabio Capitanucci makes his Company debut as her husband. Soprano Heidi Stober returns as Nannetta, Meredith Arwady is Dame Quickly and Francesco Demuro is Fenton. This Lyric Opera of Chicago production, designed by Frank Philipp Schlössmann, is directed by French stage director Olivier Tambosi and conducted by Nicola Luisotti.

Stanford Live and San Francisco Opera join to present a live simulcast of Falstaff at Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater on Friday, October 11 at 8 p.m. Through state of the art high-definition technology, Verdi’s comic masterpiece will be projected to a large video screen—coupled with high-fidelity sound—in the beautiful tree-ringed, grass-covered setting of Stanford’s beloved outdoor amphitheater. The simulcast is free but advance registration for guaranteed early entry is available on the Stanford Live website at live.stanford.edu. KDFC Radio’s Hoyt Smith will serve as onsite host at Frost Amphitheater for the simulcast.

San Francisco Opera Guild will present an Insight Panel Discussion featuring members of the cast and production team from Falstaff. The discussion will take place on Wednesday, October 2 at 6 p.m. in Chorissima Hall at the Kanbar Performing Arts Center (44 Page Street). Insight panels are free for Opera members and $5 for the general public; tickets can be purchased at the door 30 minutes prior to the discussion.

Der Fliegende Holländer, Wagner’s mythic tale of a condemned ship captain and the woman who will do anything to redeem him, stars Bass-baritone Greer Grimsley, who thrilled San Francisco audiences as a powerful Jokanaan in 2009’s Salome. Other noted Wagnerians complete the cast: Petra Maria Schnitzer in her role debut as the Dutchman’s steadfast love Senta, Ian Storey (Siegfried in 2011’s Götterdämmerung) as Erik and Kristinn Sigmundsson as Daland. San Francisco Opera Principal Guest Conductor Patrick Summers conducts and Petrika Ionesco (who directed and designed 2010’s Cyrano de Bergerac) directs a new production he also designed, with costumes by Lili Kendaka. This inventive co-production with Belgium’s Opéra Royal de Wallonie has been extensively enhanced since its 2011 premiere in Liège to further develop the vision of the director and has been expanded to make use of the space available on the War Memorial Opera House stage. S. Katy Tucker, who previously designed projections for San Francisco Opera’s 2011 Ring cycle and world premiere of Heart of a Soldier, has created new projections utilizing our recently acquired state-of-the-art projection equipment.

San Francisco Opera Guild will present an Insight Panel Discussion featuring members of the cast and production team from Der Fliegende Holländer. The discussion will take place on Monday, October 21 at 6 p.m. in the Concert Hall at San Francisco Conservatory (50 Oak Street). Insight panels are free for Opera members and $5 for the general public; tickets can be purchased at the door 30 minutes prior to the discussion.

Messa da Requiem, Giuseppe Verdi [October 25]

In celebration of the bicentennial of Verdi’s birth, San Francisco Opera presents an unprecedented performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s choral masterpiece, the Messa da Requiem, on Friday, October 25, 2013 featuring the combined orchestras and choruses of San Francisco Opera and Italy’s celebrated Real Teatro di San Carlo of Naples. Conducted by Nicola Luisotti, much-admired music director of both international companies, this concert will feature four vocal soloists—soprano Leah Crocetto, mezzo-soprano Margaret Mezzacappa, tenor Michael Fabiano and bass Vitalij Kowaljow. This unique presentation of the Requiem is offered as part of the worldwide Verdi bicentennial celebration and in recognition of 2013 The Year of Italian Culture in the United States, an initiative held under the auspices of the president of the Italian Republic.

Tickets and Information

Single tickets for San Francisco Opera’s 2013–14 Season are priced from $23 to $385. Tickets for the Verdi Requiem concert on October 25, 2013 are priced from $25 to $250 and availability is limited. Tickets may be purchased at sfopera.com or through the San Francisco Opera Box Office [301 Van Ness Avenue (at Grove Street), or by phone at (415) 864-3330]. Standing Room tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on the day of each performance; tickets are $10 each, cash only.

The War Memorial Opera House is located at 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street. Patrons are encouraged to use public transportation to attend San Francisco Opera performances. The War Memorial Opera House is within walking distance of the Civic Center BART station and near numerous bus lines, including 5, 21, 47, 49 and the F Market Street. For more public transportation information, visit bart.gov and sfmuni.com.

Casting, programs, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change. For further information, please visit sfopera.com.